


A Salty Breeze

by thelinksthatconnectus (orphan_account)



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Genre: Developing Relationship, Drabble, F/F, Femslash, POV Female Character, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2015-06-09
Packaged: 2018-04-03 17:17:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4108789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/thelinksthatconnectus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For a moment, Tetra is high on bliss and free as a bird. For a moment, she is not alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Salty Breeze

It was like stepping inside a photo taken from a pictograph box. Pigs still roamed the streets and fields freely, salty air dulled the harsh sun's heat, and sand ran freely through her toes. Tiny houses were dotted here and there, small wooden places that looked as though, despite their simple building material, could stand forever. Long grass swayed and green trees grew tall, some looking as if they could touch clouds. Ivy covered distant rocks.

Tetra let out a long sigh. It certainly was not New Hyrule. The island seemed to move slower than the ever expanding kingdom to the ocean's east, not just in terms of population (New Hyrule was all hustle and bustle, a city turned kingdom that never seemed to even stop to sleep) but also in time. It was as if, upon exiting her old ship, Tetra had stepped into a place that time treated with a gentle touch. Time did not still, but moved at its own pace, one that Tetra (despite her kingdom's sayings she would never, could never, truly be Princess Zelda) could easily follow along.

The cool air took a slightly sharper turn, the wind moving a bit faster, as if trying to push her towards the door. With every step it loomed closer.

It was only then, when her fist was half raised towards the door, that her throat finally tightened. Her head spun, and her feet moved back a step.

There had only been one reason that Link had let her go to Outset alone.

This really is a nice place, Tetra thought.

There were no stone walls or guards here, no citizens to please, nor treaties to sign or laws to enact. Here, Tetra could be a person - not a Hylian heroine, nor a princess. No labels, no legends.

She could have turned away, gone back to her ship. Letters could always be sent, even if Tetra would have to use her official stamp of approval.

Instead, the door opened.

For a moment, the old woman at the door blinked, her lips set in a half frown. Then something flashed through her eyes and the frown vanished. "Aryll!" the old woman cried. "Aryll, she finally came!"

Tetra silently watched as the woman threw open the door. The sound of footsteps echoed through her ears. Her mouth watered the moment the door opened; to think that she had almost thought of leaving Outset and skipping dinner here!

"Hey!" Tetra cried.

Aryll had certainly gotten faster since Tetra had last seen her. In moments, Aryll had grabbed her into a tight hug.

"Hey yourself," Aryll replied. She smiled down at Tetra. Though she had only a few inches on Tetra, she looked to have nearly a foot on Link. "Did all my begging finally pay off? You hardly ever replied to my letters."

"They all said the same thing." Tetra hugged the other woman tighter. "Besides, I was busy."

"Too busy for me?" Aryll chuckled, finally releasing the hug. She motioned her inside.

"Too busy for much of anything," Tetra replied as she stepped inside.

"Bet you miss being a pirate," Aryll's grandmother commented. She walked towards a large metal pot which was hung near the far right of the house. Steam slowly boiled from it. "To think, back when I was a child, Hyrule almost seemed like a fairy tale."

Maybe it is, Tetra thought. Her stomach twisted.

She was supposed to say: "I have something to ask you two." She was supposed to describe her kingdom, make it seem like a version of the Sacred Realm for mortals.

But, princess or not, she was a pirate at heart. Pirates broke rules.

"Aryll, I have a present for you."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

Tetra pulled it from the satchel she had been carrying. "I thought you might like a new one. The other one you have must be worn out, maybe even broken, by now."

An excited squeal left her throat, and she jumped excitedly at the gift held before her. For a moment, she still looked like the small girl, the one with eyes that shone with hope and happiness even after all that she had been through, that Tetra had first met.

If there was one good thing about being a princess, then it was that she could finally afford a telescope such as this (at least by legal means). The wood was strong and dark, smooth without a single scratch, crack or flaw. Gold overlaid it, running in waving patterns. Tiny jewels were dotted around, white stones that shone brightly whenever light passed over them. The glass for viewing was crystal clear and extra hard, made to last if it were dropped or there was a scuffle.

"Tetra, I..." She grinned. "I, I... I want to test it out!"

It was the pirate captain who smiled back at Aryll, and the pirate who took her hand.

"Well there's no better time than now!" Tetra said, pulling Aryll back towards the door.

It was Aryll's smiling grandmother, who moved to the door with surprising speed for a woman of her age, that opened the door. Outside, the blue sky slowly faded to purple as the sun slowly sank down the sky, almost as if it were vanishing beneath the waves.

Their feet hit the grass and then the sand, finally the air. For a few moments, Tetra flew, feet in the air and eyes on Aryll. Even when the feeling stopped, when her feet hit the sand, she smiled on.


End file.
